An untitled Cold War spy thriller directed by Spielberg will hit theaters on Oct. 16, 2015, while the adaptation of Roald Dahl's children's book The BFG will open on July 1, 2016.

Spielberg, who dropped out of American Sniper last year, has not directed a movie since 2012's Lincoln. He's been attached to numerous projects, including these two, plus an adaptation of the David Kertzernovel The Kidnapping of EdgardoMortara;Robopocalypse, a sci-fi tentpole set up at Fox; and Montezuma, which tackles the drama between Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes and the famous Aztec ruler.

Tom Hanks is starring in the untitled drama, which is based on the true story of James Donovan, an attorney who finds himself thrust into the centerof the Cold War when the CIA sends him on the near impossible mission to negotiate the release of a captured American U2 pilot.

DreamWorks acquired the book in 2011 with Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall to produce. Various directors have been attached to the project over the years, including John Madden and Chris Columbus.

Melissa Mathison, who penned the script for E.T., wrote the screenplay. Spielberg and Marshall will produce, while Kennedy, John Madden and Michael Siegel will executive produce.

In the film adaptation, a young girl, the Queen of England and a benevolent giant known as the BFG set out on an adventure to capture the evil, man-eating giants who have been invading the human world. It will open against Sony's Angry Birds,Fox's Independence Day 2 and Warner Bros.' Tarzan on the busy Independence Day weekend.